


Together.

by AmaranthPrincess21



Series: Working Her to the Bone [3]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-26
Updated: 2014-07-26
Packaged: 2018-02-10 12:25:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2025081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmaranthPrincess21/pseuds/AmaranthPrincess21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After finishing an expedition, you return home to Wall Sina to tell your parents that your brother died. While you're struggling to sort out your own feelings about his death, you realize that the pain is far bigger than you are, and affects more than just you. After losing your brother, you realize what you need to do with your family to make things right.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together.

**Author's Note:**

> This is a piece set in the _Working Her to the Bone_ universe. It takes place six months before the sequel _Give Her Strewings_

You stood outside the door to your old home, your fiancé Levi on your right and Commander Erwin on your left. A messenger bag hung on your shoulder, a pristine Survey Corps uniform neatly folded inside. A sick dread was boiling in your stomach, and you knew you must have looked terrible at that moment. Knotted hair pulled pack into a bun, eyes bloodshot with huge bags under them; you definitely didn’t look your best. But how could you? You just finished a grueling expedition that nearly cost you and Levi your lives. 

A sudden, sharp, twisting pain pinched your stomach, and you had to fight back the vomit rising in your throat. Levi noticed your sick complexion and gently squeezed your hand to reassure you that everything was going to be okay. 

“Thanks,” you murmured, voice almost silent as Erwin knocked on the front door. In no time, a maid opened the door and escorted you all in. 

“We weren’t expecting you back for a home visit for a few more days!” the maid said, her voice forcefully cheerful. 

“I’m not staying for long. Just a little bit,” you answered tersely. _No need to drag this shit on._

“Oh? That’s disappointing to hear,” the maid admitted, although you had a feeling she wasn’t being sincere. She opened the door to the parlor room, and you all filed in. 

“[First]? [First]! Ah, my baby is back from the expedition!” your mother screeched, flying at you and enveloping you in a warm hug. It felt good to have such a loving hug (but that wasn’t news to you; you learned the first night after the expedition that affection helped get rid of the hollow, numb confusion inside of you). “Erwin, Levi, I knew you two would keep [First] safe during the expedition,” she said with a bright smile, punching Erwin’s arm playfully. 

“I didn’t have to do anything, Isla, and neither did Levi. [First] is very capable on her own,” Erwin lightly chuckled. Your mother let go of you before pulling Levi into a hug. 

“I know, but it’s still good to know you two have her back, along with Clifton, if anything should happen.” Pain shot through your system and you visibly paled at your brother’s name. The action caught Erwin’s eye, and since Levi was not in a position to do anything, he placed his hand comfortingly on your shoulder. “You’re going to _love_ the dinner I planned! I had the cook make all your favorites, [First], and Clifton’s too. I invited Nile and Marie too, Erwin, and you’re more than welcome to stay for dinner!” 

“I shouldn’t -” Erwin stumbled back a bit as your mother plowed into him for an embrace. 

“It’ll be like the old days! I mean, I wish Mike were here to truly complete the picture, but we haven’t had a meal together in God knows how long! Please please please _please?”_ your mother begged him. For once, Erwin looked at a lost of what to say. 

“A-actually Mom, none of us are staying for dinner. I’m sorry,” you informed her. To say she looked devastated was an understatement. _If she can’t handle that, how will she react when we tell her the news?_

“What, why? You just came home from an expedition, don’t you want to stay for dinner?” she asked desperately, letting go of Erwin to look at you. You avoided her gaze. “What about Clif? Is he going to come by and stay for dinner?” The pinching feeling returned to your stomach, and you swallowed hard to push the vomit back down your throat. 

“Actually, Isla, we came to talk about Clifton,” Erwin said, serious demeanor returning. 

“What about him now? What stupid thing has he gotten himself into?” she sighed. “[First], is he bullying you again? I told him if he did one more thing to upset you I was going to lock him out of his own house and make sure he never sees little Catherine again. He loves that little girl more than anything, so I thought that would be enough to get him to behave.” Your stomach dropped to the floor. 

“Can we sit? My legs hurt like a bitch,” Levi cut in, looking to your mother for permission to sit. 

“Oh, of course! God, where are my manners? One visit from the Survey Corps and all of my decorum goes out the window! Although, I never really _had_ decorum in the first place when it comes to a good-looking man in uniform. When I was -” 

“Mom, no. Please,” you begged her quickly, embarrassment spilling into your sick stomach. You sat down on the loveseat across from your mother, Levi next to you and Erwin sitting in a chair at the head of the coffee table. 

“Fine, I’ll embarrass you another day. So, what’s Clifton gotten himself into now?” she asked, folding her arms across her chest and looking to you and Levi expectantly. You bit your lip, staring right back at your mom. _How do I tell her this?_

_It was almost night, and you were almost back to Wall Rose. The two-week expedition had been unforgiving, but after reclaiming Wall Maria and exterminating the titans, you had established a safe route to Shiganshina and killed a good number of titans inside of Wall Maria. You, Levi, Clifton, Eren, and Sasha were riding together back to Wall Rose with the rest of the Survey Corps. Although the corps had completed half of their mission, there was going to be a retreat. The Survey Corps suffered mass losses, and needed to recuperate somewhere safe._

_A flare shot into the air, a billowing crimson cloud alerting the small fraction of Levi’s squad that titans had been spotted. From his spot beside you, Levi sighed._

_“God damn it!” your brother Clifton swore from his spot on the other side of Levi. “How many fucking titans are we going to encounter?”_

_“We just reclaimed Wall Maria after years of it being titan territory, of course there’s going to be a lot of titan encounters, dipshit,” you told him harshly._

_“Both of you shut up and get serious,” Levi scolded you harshly. He spurred his horse on faster, you and the rest of his squad hurrying after him. There were only five of you; during a skirmish an hour ago you and the rest of the squad got separated._

_“Should we go help? They don’t look that far off,” Eren asked Levi._

_“No. We’re heading straight for the Wall. We’ll only fight if we have to,” Levi ordered, eyes dead ahead._ I just hope we’re able to make it to Wall Rose without running into any more titans, _you thought, biting you lip and surveying the area around you. There weren’t any trees nearby, so maneuver gear would be difficult._

_Silent, tense minutes dragged on as your small squad rode on, getting closer and closer to Wall Rose._ Soon, Levi and I will be able to relax in the safety of Headquarters. I just hope we make it there quickly and in one piece. 

_“Crap, Corporal! Titans are approaching!” Sasha called out. Levi once again sighed before he looked over his shoulder to see the three approaching titans._

_“They’re going to catch up to us soon. We’re going to meet them and wipe them out,” Levi ordered, changing directions. You steered your horse to meeting the titans head on, Sasha and Eren behind you. “Sasha, Eren, take on the ten meter. [First], Clifton, take on the five meter. I’ll take on the fifteen meter.”_ Should he take on a fifteen meter by himself in this kind of environment? 

_“Corporal, not to question the order, or anything, but -” you began._

_“If your sentence starts with ‘not to question the order,’ you’re obviously questioning my order,” Levi said. “Just do what I say, [First].”_

_“But -”_

_“No,” he shot you down, pushing his horse to go faster to hurry towards the titans. Eren and Sasha paired together and went after the ten meter._ I just want to make it back safe with you, _you sighed, getting closer to your brother._

_“Corporal’s more than capable of killing a titan, dumbass,” Clifton said unforgiving, taking his eyes off your prey for one second to give you a condescending look._

_“Ugh, go swallow your blades, asshole,” you rolled your eyes at him. “I didn’t realize it was a crime to be concerned about your fiancé.” – You exhaled, watching the titan run towards you and assessing the situation – “Go cut the titan’s legs, and I’ll go in for the kill.”_

_“Why can’t I kill it? I’m just as capable as you, and with less training,” Clifton questioned you._

_“I’ve been in the Survey Corps longer than you have. I’ve been in more expeditions than you have. Just do it,” you commanded him._

_“Just because you have more battle experience doesn’t make you automatically better than me.”_

_“It does since it means I have more experience in these kinds of situations.”_

_“But it doesn’t equal skill.”_

_“Oh my God just shut up and go cut its legs off! We’ve almost caught up to it!” you shouted at him. He sighed melodramatically and engaged his gear, hooks gripping onto the titan’s hot, soft flesh. You got to work as well, flying up to circle the titan and cut its nape. Clifton sliced into the titan’s legs and it began to fall as you went to kill it. Your hooks grabbed onto the titan’s shoulder and you were being propelled forward. As you cut into the titan’s vulnerable spot, you heard a loud cry. Looking over to the source of the noise, you saw Levi on the ground, part of his gear smashed into pieces._

_“LEVI!” you screamed. The world seemed to vanish as you sprinted towards him, watching as the titan picked him._ Oh God, no, no! _You ran as humanly possible, engaging your gear once you were close enough. You flew towards the titan, fire in your eyes and soul as you prepared to kill the monster. It grabbed your wires and yanked you into its grasp, its fleshy hand closing over your arms and torso._ No! I am not dying like this! _You mentally screamed, kicking and squirming, trying to get your arms free. But it was no use. Fear was rising in your body as you struggled to get free. The cable connecting one of Levi’s swords had been torn, and you could see him struggling to reach the sword that was still connected, but slipped out of his hands._ No. He can’t die, he can’t. _Mustering all of your strength, head swimming, and fear filling your body, you fought even harder as the titan brought Levi to its mouth._

_It happened in a flash._

_Clifton engaged his gear and was flying towards the titan, ready to cut its hand off to free Levi. You watched in horror as the titan was too quick and was about to bite down Levi’s head. Tears welled in your eyes, terrified of the scene in front of you. You felt a gush of wind and a falling sensation; Clifton cut off the hand that had you captive. As you fell, you watched Clifton forcibly kick Levi, pushing him out of the titan’s teeth and cutting the titan’s hand off. Levi grabbed Clifton’s arm. He pulled on him as the titan’s mouth clamped shut over Clifton’s torso. He didn’t have time to scream. The rest of your brother’s body fell to the ground, a sickening thud resonating through the air as his organs spilled out onto the grass. Part of his stomach landed next to your head._

Levi dug into your messenger bag and took out the Survey Corps uniform, placing it on the coffee table. Your mother raised an eyebrow, looking to Levi for an explanation. 

“Clifton served the Survey Corps well and fought valiantly till the very end,” Levi told her. “He died saving [First] and I.” Your mother’s hand flew to her mouth, a sob choking its way out of her mouth. You had never seen your mother break down, and the image of your mother sobbing, gut-wrenching screams of agony ripping themselves from her throat, was too much for you to handle. Isla’s free hand grabbed the uniform, clutching it to her chest as she sobbed into the green cloak. 

“My baby, my baby boy,” she sobbed, gasping for air like someone that had almost drowned. But you knew she was indeed drowning, sinking deeper and deeper into the water that was grief. You couldn’t blame her. _I can’t do this. I can’t do this._ You stood up suddenly and left the parlor. Tears pricked in your eyes as you shut the door and lean against the wall next to it. _Oh God, why am I crying?! Why am I upset?! He was an asshole; he was a dirty, disgusting piece of shit. So why am I crying?_

_Because he died saving your ass. He was a fuckwad, but he did one nice thing for you,_ a voice in your head told you. A sob escaped your throat, and you tried to muffle it with your hand covering your lips. _Why do I feel so confused? Why am I feel everything all at once? Why am I grieving?_

The creak of the door opening as your mother’s angry screaming at Erwin could be heard; she was saying something about breaking promises as the door shut again. Levi sat down beside you. 

“I’ve never seen someone go from grief to rage that quickly,” he commented. You choked out a laugh, nodding. 

“Yeah, she does that,” you informed him. He chuckled. 

“You should have seen Erwin’s face when she started yelling at him. It was priceless,” Levi said, propping his arm up on his bent knee. You nodded. 

“She doesn’t like holding back,” you said. Silence. 

“I’m sure Erwin would be okay if you wanted to leave. He can handle Isla on his own,” your fiancé informed you. 

“No, I-I should stay here. I just needed a moment,” you said, sniffling. The small pitter-patter of feet met your ears, and your stomach dropped once again as your older sister Ola walked towards you, herding her kids towards the parlor. _Oh no. Oh, no no no no no,_ you thought, eyes widening in horror as you saw a small toddler trailing behind her cousins. _Why did Ola have to bring Catherine along?_

“[First], why the hell are you sitting on the floor? And what’s mom yelling about? Are she and Dad fighting _again?”_ Ola asked, pushing some of her wavy brown hair behind her ear. 

“She’s currently bitching out our commander,” Levi told her. She snorted. 

“Why am I not surprised?” she replied in a deadpan. “Kids, don’t go into the parlor. Grandma’s angry. Go to the playroom for now.” Her kids moaned but obeyed her, running down the hall and into the playroom a few doors down. Little Catherine didn’t follow her cousins; she meekly waddled over to you. She was the spitting image of her mother, your younger sister Luella. Wavy brown hair, big brown eyes. You had met her for the first time a few weeks ago, before the expedition, when she and your mother came to visit you and Clifton before you left. She was a sweetheart, and possibly the most adorable child in the world. She tottered over to you, her little foot catching the edge of the runner. Before she could fall over, Levi leaned forward and caught her, picking her up and setting her on your lap. 

“Thank you,” she said politely, reaching up to wrap her tiny arms around your neck. 

“Hello, Catherine. Why don’t you go play with your cousins?” you asked her softly. 

“You know she’s too little to be playing with them,” Old reprimanded you, rolling her eyes. 

“I’ve been with them for two weeks,” Catherine said, her voice muffled as she buried her face in your neck. “I wanna see Cliffy.” 

“Yeah, where is Clifton? Is he in the parlor with Mom and Commander Erwin?” Ola asked, sitting down on the runner opposite you three. 

“He, um, well,” you began, feeling nausea rise in your stomach and more tears prick your eyes. _He’s raised Catherine since her dad abandoned her. How am I supposed to tell her that her caretaker is dead?_ you asked yourself, inhaling deeply. 

“Catherine.” Levi’s deep voice rang through the hallway. Catherine turned her head to look at him. He picked her up and set her on top of his flattened knees. “Do you know where your mother is?” 

“Yes, she’s in heaven,” Catherine answered, looking up at Levi with her huge, innocent eyes. 

“Clifton’s gone to join her,” he said seriously, looking her dead in the eyes. Her face fell, lower lip trembling. 

“Wait, _what?!”_ Ola shrieked, her eyes bulging as she started at you two incredulously. “Clif’s _dead?!”_

“Yeah. He saved Levi and I from a titan during the expedition, but he wasn’t fast enough to save himself,” you said softly, staring down at your feet. 

“W-what? Clif’s with Mommy?” Catherine’s voice cracked in the middle of her question. You bit your lip and nodded, heart being ripped to shreds as the little girl started to cry. Ola sighed, clutching her head in her hands. 

“I need a fucking drink. Watch Catherine. I’ll be back with something good and strong,” she said monotone, standing up and heading to the kitchen. You grabbed Catherine’s little hand, squeezing it affectionately. 

“Why didn’t he take me with him?” she asked Levi between sobs, and your heart was torn in half. 

“You weren’t there, and it’s not your time to go see your mother, Catherine,” he told her sternly. She sniffled. 

“But . . . But Cliffy . . . He was my kind of daddy. “W-who’s gonna be my daddy now?” the toddler sobbed. “Who’s gonna love me?” _How emotional distraught is she if she thinks no one but Clif loved her?_ Your heart was shattering into miniscule fragments. 

“We love you, Catherine,” you choked out. “Auntie Ola loves you, Uncle Robert loves you, your cousins love you, Grandma and Grandpa love you, and Levi and I love you. You still have a lot of people who love you, honey.” She crawled closer to Levi, her fists pulling at his jacket as she cried into his button-down shirt. He put his hand on her back. He looked like he was at a loss of what to do, but from what you knew about caring for small children, he was doing everything right. _He’s going to make a good father one day,_ you commented silently, looking at the two. _Maybe he and I can take her in. She’ll need a home, after all._

The door to the parlor opened, your mother storming out. Her eyes were red and puffy, and she looked even more upset than she had when she learned Clifton died. Erwin followed her, easily matching her stride with his long legs. She caught sight of you, Levi, and Catherine sitting on the ground and stopped in front of you. She scooped up Catherine from Levi’s arms, putting on a brave face and comforting the child. Erwin extended hands to you and Levi to help you up. You gratefully accepted the help, while Levi got up on his own. 

_God, the broken helping the broken. That’s nothing knew to me, but seeing my mom and Catherine. No one should have to go through this, and she shouldn’t have to put on a brave face for little Catherine. They should be comforting each other,_ you thought, watching the two. Ola swaggered down the hallway, two wine bottles in her hands. 

“I figured since Levi’s your fiancé and all, you can just share,” she said, handing you the bottle. You quickly passed it to Levi. “Oh. Sorry, Commander, I didn’t realize you’d be out here, otherwise I would’ve brought you some too,” she apologized to Erwin. 

“It’s fine,” he shrugged. 

“Cool,” she responded, taking a swig straight from the bottle. _What a bunch we are,_ you thought, looking at your mother, niece, and sister. 

“Should . . . We should be heading back to Headquarters. We can make it there tonight if we leave soon,” Erwin informed you and Levi. A twinge of pain shattered your heart as you saw your mother’s face fall. 

_Mom is devastated, Catherine is inconsolable, Ola is drinking. And God knows how Dad’s going to react once he finds out. I’m an emotional hot mess and the only way I’ve gotten through the past two days is Levi’s support. I’m just as bad, maybe even worse than the rest of my family since I don’t know what the fuck I’m feeling. But maybe we can all console each other. My mom doesn’t need me shutting her out again. I need to be here for her, little Catherine, and Ola. I may not get along with Ola and I may hate my father, but this is my family and they need me here. My mom can’t deal with the absence of another kid._

“Commander Erwin?” you asked him. “May I stay behind and remain with my family. I will return to Headquarters in tomorrow morning, but I would like to stay with my family for the rest of the day.” 

“You can stay today and tomorrow, [First],” he replied. Levi put his hand on your shoulder, pulling you towards him as he leaned into you. 

“Do you want me to stay?” he asked. 

“It’s your choice,” you told him. He nodded curtly. 

“I’ll see you the day after tomorrow, then,” he said. 

“Sounds good to me.” You gave him a chaste kiss. He and Erwin saw themselves out, walking down the hallway into the foyer, and then out the door. You turned to your mother, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into a hug. There was a fresh tear in the fabric that was your family, and you knew that it wouldn’t heal immediately. But perhaps you could help mend the wound with the help of your sister, mother, father, and niece. 

The pain would end, and the grief would become an occasional dull pain. You would eventually sort out the strange feelings you that coursed through your veins. 

You would get help and give help. 

Your family would mend itself. 

Together.


End file.
